


Rice balls

by number1brat



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-26
Updated: 2016-02-26
Packaged: 2018-05-23 09:42:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6112577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/number1brat/pseuds/number1brat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first words Akaashi's soul mate will say to him are 'you're beautiful', but with the amount of people who'd said that to him growing up, Akaashi began to pay them no mind. </p>
<p>Until Bokuto, that is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rice balls

Akaashi

 

 

When Akaashi was young, the words on his shoulder blade meant nothing to him. To him, it was something everyone had and wasn't special. However he learned quickly it was something special, with how his parents would coo over it and make him pull the back of his shirt down to show their friends.

  _"You're beautiful, Akaashi,"_ they'd all gush, pinching his skin or ruffling his hair as they did. He would flush and mumble a small thank you, unsure of how to respond to that.

 

When he got older and learned to read, the children in his class would take turns trying to read each others words and figure out whose was the best.   
"Show us yours, Akaashi," they'd demand and, because he was used to doing it, he would.

They'd struggle through it, but once they finally got the words out, they'd laugh and move on. "Why's it say that?" Someone giggled in the harsh way children were known for, "It's not like it's true."

 

Akaashi learnt not to show any one his words. He still wondered what they were about, but he never asked anyone. As they entered their next school and got older, the teachers began to explain, just for anyone who hadn't already been told by their parents.

_The words on your skin,_ the teacher explained, _are the first words your soul mate will say to you. The first words you'll say to them are on their skin._

 

Akaashi went home and researched _soulmates_ after school and wondered what his would be like. Despite himself, he couldn't help but look forward to the moment someone would come up to him and tell him, _you're beautiful._

The first time someone told Akaashi he was beautiful, his heart stopped. He was at school, his second year of middle school, and a girl the year below him approached him during break. She held a pink envelope in her hand and her face was red.

 

"You're beautiful!" She blurted, the first words she'd ever spoken to him. "Please accept my feelings!" She shoved the letter in his hands, watching expectantly. Akaashi took this as his cue to read it.

His heart was beating far too fast, because those were the words on his back and _was this really who he was destined to be with?_

 

He read the letter, heart fluttering at the sweet words and at how honest the girl was being. "Ah, thank you," he spoke, his voice soft, "this is lovely."

The girl's face dropped at his words and she snatched the letter back from him, already crying. "You weren't meant to say that!" She exclaimed, rolling the top of her stockings down to show him the words just below her knee. "Everyone said you're beautiful are your words, so I thought if I said them to you, you'd return it!"

 

_There's food in your hair._ The words on her skin read.

 Akaashi couldn't breathe. He'd gotten his hopes up, but this girl wasn't it. Not only that, she was upset with Akaashi for not being her soulmate.   
"I'm sorry-"  
"Don't bother," she stopped him, "just forget about this."

 

But he couldn't, no matter how much he wanted to. 

After that, Akaashi stopped letting people see his words. He changed with his back to the wall, and if someone asked he'd politely refuse, before making an excuse to leave. It was difficult, but Akaashi found it better than the alternative. Having one person say the words and not be his soulmate was painful enough.

 

On his last day of middle school, a classmate of his threw a party that they invited all third years to. Akaashi knew he wasn't going to be seeing any of them again, but figured it would be a nice way to say goodbye to them all.

He dressed casually in a pair of black jeans and a blue jumper that his mother always loved him wearing. It would be the first time his classmates saw him out of his uniform, so he found it strange and was worried. 

 

The party was nice, if a bit too loud for Akaashi's taste, but he hung around long enough so he didn't seem ignorant. His classmate’s older sister was there, enjoying tormenting her younger siblings friends. Just as Akaashi was leaving, she caught him, "you're beautiful," she stated, "I don't think I've ever seen a boy as pretty as you. What do you wash your hair with?"  
"Whatever my mom buys," he mumbled.   
"Well, keep using it," she advised, ruffling his hair in a way that couldn't be mistaken for anything other than in a family way.

 

Akaashi wasn't sure if he was relieved or upset about that.

By the time Akaashi got to high school, the words on his back were a complete secret. All those from his younger years had gone to different schools, and he'd become skilled at hiding them, despite playing volleyball so often.

 His first practice for Fukuroudani was nerve wrecking. Just because he didn't show his nerves, didn't mean he didn't feel them. His nerves didn't show in his emotions or words, nor did they show in the way he played. He doubted he'd get onto the team in his first year, though, as there was already a third year setter.

 

Perhaps next year.

"Hey, hey, hey!" A loud voice said, "who wants to see how many rice balls I can fit in my mouth?!" 

"Bokuto, they're mine!" A third year protested, unable to do anything as the loud mouthed, and haired, person began to shove them in his mouth. "Why does he do this all the time?!"

 

"Any bets?" He asked, words distorted by the food. "I'll do this for nothing, but bets make it fun!"   
None of the other players made a move to stop him, so Akaashi tried to do the same. Except, he was pretty close to the person, who quickly made a grab at Akaashi. 

His mouth was pretty full of rice balls, so no words could actually make it out. He pointed to his mouth a few times, before shoving another one in his mouth.   
"I'm not betting on how many rice balls you can eat, Bokuto-san," Akaashi said in the most disinterested voice he could muster. "You're going to choke yourself."

 

Just as he said that, Bokuto choked. He began to cough and soon needed another player to thump him on the back to help. His eyes were watery, his face red, and his voice hoarse as he forced out, "you're beautiful."

Akaashi had heard that often throughout his life, but he still couldn't help the little jump in his heart when Bokuto said it.

 

Bokuto looked around in amazement, "he's beautiful!"   
Akaashi's eyes widened, "Bokuto-san, please stop."   
"And he knows my name!"   
"You're my upper classman, of course I do, now-"  
"What's your name, beautiful?"

 

Akaashi couldn't help his blush and struggled to remain straight faced. "Akaashi Keiji."   
"Bokuto Koutarou!" Bokuto announced with a grin. "You're a setter, right?"   
"Ah, yes, Bokuto-san."   
"Cool, come toss for me, yeah?"   
"You have a setter, Bokuto-san," Akaashi reminded.   
"But they'll be gone next year, so I need to be able to play with you, too," Bokuto reasoned. "So come on, Akaashi!"

 

Practices were fun, Akaashi would admit to himself. He'd never been pushed this hard before. The first year went and as soon as the second started, Bokuto, the newly appointed captain, announced that Akaashi would be their setter this year.

Akaashi simply gave him a dry look and told him to get off the volleyball equipment. Bokuto was pretty friendly to the first years, until one of the third years spoke.

"Hey, how come you aren't doing the rice ball thing anymore?" Yamato asked. 

Bokuto flushed, "w-what do you mean? I only did that once!"   
"Liar, you did it like five times!"   
"Did not!" Bokuto looked over to Akaashi. "And if I did, I'm so cool it doesn't actually matter."

Yamato scoffed and moved on, sharing an exasperated look with Akaashi.   
"Bokuto-san, don't cause a scene in front of the first years," Akaashi ordered.   
"Akaashi!" He whined, "I'm not causing a scene."

 

Akaashi noted the talented first years, remembering a few who might be able to make it onto the team, as they were in need of a couple. The captain certainly wasn't, so he would. After practice, they all changed and Akaashi was approached by a first year.

"You're beautiful, Akaashi-senpai," they stated, in a way that one might say the sun rises. It wasn't a compliment, nor a confession, they said it as a fact.  
"Thank you," Akaashi said, giving them a small smile. He'd learnt that first years needed all the encouragement they could get.

 

"Hey, hey, hey, Akaashi," Bokuto said. "How come you don't react when people call you beautiful?" Akaashi shrugged. "I guess you're just used to it, cause you are gorgeous."   
"Who else do you know who's called me beautiful, Bokuto-san?"

Bokuto let out a laugh, "like, loads of girls and boys in my class, and some in the lower years ask me what kind of chocolates you like. Hey, my first words to you were _you're beautiful._ "   
"They were, weren't they, Bokuto-san?"

 

Akaashi had actually forgotten about that, he'd become quite good at it. "Do you remember my first words to you?"   
Bokuto's face lit up, "yeah, one second." He pulled his trousers down without care and rolled the bottom of his boxers up a bit to show his thigh. He didn't struggle to read it upside down, possibly because they were words he'd been reading over and over his entire life.

 

Akaashi couldn't breathe.

 

"So, _I'm not betting on how many rice balls you can eat, Bokuto-san. You're going to choke yourself."_ Bokuto read, showing Akaashi a grin.  
Akaashi's face was warm and he actually felt really stupid. Of all the times to completely overlook being called beautiful, it was the one where it was actually his soulmate.

 

Bokuto noticed his blush, "did you actually not know?"   
"It's said a lot," Akaashi said.   
"Well, obviously, you're stunning so everyone's gonna say it," Bokuto agreed. "But, don't you just know when it's the one?"   
"With the amount of people who've said it, it's easier to ignore."

 

"Damn, Akaashi, who knew you were so popular," Bokuto laughed. "But, didn't me saying it make it seem any more special?"   
"Not really, Bokuto-san, I'm sorry." Akaashi actually was, he really liked Bokuto and just knew any minute now the emo mode would come if he didn't do something. "But, if you knew, why didn't you say anything?"

 

Bokuto dropped his head, "I thought it'd be cute if you confessed first. D'you know how long I've been waiting for you to?"  
"I apologise, Bokuto-san," Akaashi answered, not yet able to control the flush on his cheeks.

 

"Don't be stupid, Akaashi," Bokuto ordered, suddenly lunging towards Akaashi. "Just show me your words, yeah?" He grabbed hold of Akaashi, pulling at his shirt to try and get a look down it.   
"Bokuto-san, what have I said about getting too close?"

 

"Yeah, but I'm your _soulmate,_ I should get to see this. You saw mine!" Bokuto defended, trying to roll Akaashi's sleeves up as Akaashi struggled.   
"Speaking of, you don't have any trousers on."  
"S'alright, I am trying to get your shirt off so we'll be fine."

 

Akaashi sighed as Bokuto untucked his shirt from his trousers, leaving the bottom of it in need of an iron.   
"If I show you it, will you stop ruining my shirt?"  
"Yeah!"

 

Bokuto backed up slightly as Akaashi's long fingers unbuttoned his shirt.   
"I was right about where it was!" Bokuto exclaimed gleefully.   
"Hm." Akaashi pulled his shirt down and turned around, showing Bokuto his words.

 

"Whoa." Bokuto's fingers were warm on his back, tracing the words."It's a shame that you can't see it, 'cause it's really cool."   
"I do own a mirror, Bokuto-san," Akaashi said.   
"Yeah, but I used to spend ages staring at mine! Don't you think they're cool?"  
"They are. May I put my shirt back on?"

 

Bokuto stepped back, allowing Akaashi to button his shirt up as he pulled his trousers back on.   
"I can't believe you didn't know all this time," Bokuto sulked, before letting out an embarrassed scream. "Do you know how much I've gone on about this to Kuroo? He's gonna make fun of me!"

 

Akaashi couldn't help the small smirk on his face. "Would it make you feel better if I took you for some food?"   
Bokuto's head whipped up from where he was staring at the floor, "like as a date?"   
"Exactly like that, Bokuto-san."

 

Bokuto let out a whoop, "then let's go, Akaashi!"   
"Give me just a minute, Bokuto-san."


End file.
